


Destiny

by Lebreau



Category: Ever After High
Genre: Briar is the best girlfriend, F/F, Faybelle is suffering, Magic sucks and curses suck especially, so is Duchess actually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 02:54:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11682540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lebreau/pseuds/Lebreau
Summary: The lake, she figured, would be her best bet. Almost everything important to Duchess's story happened on the water, and she had been inseparable from that silly water ever since they had come here. Dancing on it, doing homework next to it, even fighting dirty to save it. She almost giggled at the thought that Duchess liked her lake much more than she liked almost all people.





	Destiny

At the third insistent chime, she picked up her phone, assuring the girl next to her that it wasn't important. Flicking her finger lazily across the screen, she expected an update from Blondie's mirrorcast or a new chapter of one of Holly's stories, not... this. Instead she had a series of texts that turned increasingly panicked until the last one simply said "Please, I need you".

"Bri, I... I have to go," she was almost out of bed before the quiet words left her mouth, a quick flick of her hand changing her clothes as she headed for the door. "Duch thinks it's gonna be tonight, I'm so-"

Briar cut her off, climbing out of bed and reaching for her own phone. "Shh, I'll call Apple and Raven and we'll go keep Lizzie company with Maddie or something. Go."

Her heart leapt into her throat and she nodded as she turned to the door, a whispered "thank you" barely making it out before she was dialing the phone and flying down the hallway. 

"Duch? What can I do?" The lake, she figured, would be her best bet. Almost everything important to Duchess's story happened on the water, and she had been inseparable from that silly water ever since they had come here. Dancing on it, doing homework next to it, even fighting dirty to save it. She almost giggled at the thought that Duchess liked her lake much more than she liked almost all people.

"What we... talked about. For Sparrow? Please?" Duchess's words were coming out short and cut off, like they hurt to say, and Faybelle wasn't sure her heart could ache any more. 

"I wish- nevermind. I've got it, I'll be there soon." She swallowed down the protests, the uncomfortable crawling feeling that filled her at the thought of using her magic to do this. It felt wrong, unfair, and she didn't want to do it. But this was her best friend forever after, and she could hardly say no. So she turned towards the boys dorm instead of the lake, mentally rehearsing the sleeping spell that was her mother's specialty.

Ten short minutes later, Sparrow was out for the night courtesy of a low power sleeping curse, and Faybelle's heart felt heavier than it had that morning. She clasped her hands together in front of her and shook her head; Duchess would do the same for her if she could.

She was approaching the clearing around the lake now, flying so single-mindedly that she barely noticed the cold night air chilling her. But the crackle of magic that surrounded Duchess's lake was too strong to escape her attention. The magic felt... wrong, somehow, sour and bitter and angry. It wasn't like her own, or her mother's, or even Raven's or the Evil Queen's. She didn't know how to place it other than wrong, and the feel of it was so foreign that she landed lightly on the ground, not liking the feel of flying through the almost tangible bitterness in the air.

A few more steps and her heart was breaking again, seeing Duchess sitting on the ground alone and looking very small by the edge of the water. Her hair was loose and tangled, falling down her back with a few stray leaves in it, and there were streaks on her dress where the water and dirt had stained it. Duchess Swan never allowed anyone to see her looking anything less than her best, and it hurt to see.

"Duch?" she said softly, approaching her slowly and reaching out her hand. The magic felt thicker here, surrounding Duchess in a heavy cloud, and she almost recoiled when Duchess took her hand and held it loosely. Even the light touch magnified the sour crackle, but she refused to flinch away from her friend. Not tonight.

Instead of a response, Duchess pulled her down slowly by the hand until she was sitting on the grass next to her. She tried to get some sort of answer out, but all she managed was a choked sounding "Fay!" before the tears started again, and the crackling magic twisted in Faybelle's chest like a dull knife, because Duchess Swan did not cry. She did not cry, and she certainly did not lean into her friend's shoulder and sob like a small child.

"It's... it's gonn..." Faybelle's voice trailed off before she could even get the rest of the words out. She wouldn't lie to her, not tonight and not ever. Everyone else did, and she didn't deserve that from her, of all people. She opted for a hard question instead, hoping to focus Duchess on something that was slightly different from her impending fate. "Did you... talk to Poppy?"

She feels Duchess nod against her shoulder, before sniffling and pulling away slightly to wipe her face. When she looks down at Faybelle - because, of course, when she's sitting up straight, she towers over her best friend - her eyes are red and puffy and her throat is scratchy and she's a mess, but she gets the words out. She explains slowly and with deep breaths, telling Faybelle about spending the day with Poppy, and her eyes light up a tiny bit whenever she says her name. And Faybelle listens, trying not to let her eyes widen when the creeping wrongness of the magic surrounding the lake intensifies, and she's not going to let herself upset Duchess further. She'll have plenty of time for a personal breakdown later, she thinks, pointedly ignoring the tiny voice in her head that's trying to tell her about the hundred years of time she's going to have, all alone.

Duchess's face twists, as though she's in pain, stopping her right in the middle of gushing about dinner with Poppy earlier that night. Faybelle clings to her hand, and runs the other through her hair, smoothing it out in an attempt at comfort. The bitter static of Duchess's curse is worse every time she touches her, like it's trying to expand and pull Faybelle in too. She fights it, though she's cautious and more than a little afraid that she's making things worse for Duchess. But she can't ignore the feeling, being entirely comprised of magic herself. It's prickly and thick, like moving through knee high mud, and it's more unnerving than any magic she's felt before. 

A tiny whimper escapes Duchess, and Faybelle tries to shush her, knowing it won't really help, but feeling the need to say something, do something. The reality is far too bitter to think about; there's no stopping what's coming. She doesn't think she can even postpone it, and she's terrified of what would happen if she interfered anyways.

“Fay, I-” she tries, and then she's dragged towards the center of the lake as the magic hits properly. Faybelle flits along next to her, hand still gripped as tightly as she can. Duchess doesn't have to do this alone, she's not going to leave. Her hand is burning where it touches Duchess's skin, and the lake is.. steaming? It's like the static of the curse is taking over the entire lake, and she's sure that the water is charged and crackling. Duchess is crying again, and Faybelle's heart aches. All she can do is be here, and it's. It's not enough.

There is a blinding flash, and a wave of magic so strong it's actually tangible this time, to Faybelle at least, knocks her out of the air. She hits the muddy edge of the lake with a dull thud, instinctively pulling away from the water. Gasping for the breath that's been knocked out of her, she shields her eyes with one hand and looks out at the middle of the lake, where Duchess is... Duchess is floating, but her body is horribly rigid and then a spasm rips through her, and there's another flash. 

Faybelle's vision clears slowly, and she looks up to see a single swan flying above the lake. The water has calmed, and the horrible tense magic in the air must have snapped when the transformation took Duchess from her, because she can almost breathe again. Only almost, because now that Duchess is _gone_ , starting to fly away the way she has to, that's just the way her story works, Faybelle is sobbing. Her shoulders shake horribly and she's choking on the gasping breaths she does draw in, and she doesn't know how long it is before two warm hands steady her shoulders.

She is only faintly aware of Briar leading her back to her room. Her wings seem to act of their own accord, and all Briar has to do is keep a firm grip on her hand and steer her in the right direction. Once they're in the quiet of her room, exhaustion and nausea hit her with almost equally overwhelming force. Faybelle closes her eyes against the nausea, and she must make a sound of distress, because Briar is there, pulling her into a warm embrace and making quiet shushing noises. Briar guides her gently to the bed, lays her carefully in it, and climbs in next to her, holding her loosely and stroking her hair. She falls asleep listening to Briar's breathing, her hand relaxing from where it was gripping Briar's arm almost hard enough to bruise.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't worry: Faybelle's not done suffering and neither is anyone else. shout out to Sparrow and how upset he's gonna be


End file.
